What General Lattice does

General Lattice, Inc. is a Chicago-based private computational design and digital manufacturing company founded in 2018 that develops parametric design models and automated design-to-manufacturing pipelines for high-performance lattice materials and custom engineered systems. Its core technology encodes design logic into parametric models that simultaneously optimize across multiple competing performance targets (size, mass, rebound, impact absorption, thermal management), enabling rapid exploration of thousands of geometry variants that would be intractable through manual iteration. Named project work includes a 3D-printed airless basketball for Wilson Sporting Goods (solved in 3 months versus 4 years of prior effort), a configurable payload enclosure for NanTrak Industries that won the U.S. Army xTechOverwatch competition, a predictive modeling toolset under contract with the U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier Center for next-generation combat helmets, and an automated design-to-manufacturing pipeline for Mak Studio's architectural installations that generated 900+ DXF files in under one second.

The company serves two parallel segments: Defense & Federal (U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier Center, U.S. Army, NanTrak Industries) and Commercial/Industrial (Wilson Sporting Goods, Mak Studio, plus website logos spanning Motorola, 11six24, Xspex, Air Force Research Laboratory, and Army DEVCOM Aviation and Missile Center). It monetizes through a structured Application Development Program — Discovery/Requirements, Parametric Model Development, Prototyping/Validation, and Production Ramp — operating as custom engineering professional services backed by a distributed manufacturing network that eliminates tooling investment, MOQs, and inventory. The company has raised $1 million in pre-seed funding (September 2021) led by AP Ventures LLC, the strategic investment arm of All Points Logistics LLC, operates with 1–10 employees, and discloses no public pricing or revenue figures.

Name

General Lattice

Legal name

General Lattice, Inc.

Website

https://generallattice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

General Lattice is a Chicago-based computational design and digital manufacturing company that builds parametric models and automated pipelines to engineer custom high-performance lattice systems for defense, federal, and commercial customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Manufacturing Services

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (54142), Engineering Services (541330)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Support Generation & Lattice/Structure Design Tools (IMAAACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)

Keywords

• Computational design software
• Lattice materials engineering
• Digital manufacturing services
• Parametric modeling tools
• Additive manufacturing systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Application Development Program: Custom system engineering services from concept through production. Partners with commercial and federal customers to design and manufacture custom high-performance systems. Structured engagement includes Discovery/Requirements, Parametric Model Development, Prototyping/Validation, and Production Ramp phases with established production pricing.
2. Distributed Manufacturing: Production through a qualified distributed manufacturing network. Eliminates single-source dependencies, minimum order quantities, and tooling costs through on-demand production wherever needed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

General Lattice partners with commercial and federal customers to design and manufacture custom high-performance lattice-based systems through a structured Application Development Program (Discovery/Requirements, Parametric Model Development, Prototyping/Validation, Production Ramp). The company leverages proprietary multi-objective parametric modeling, automated CAD-to-simulation workflows, and a distributed manufacturing network to engineer configurable system portfolios in Body Worn Protection, Seating and Positioning, and Thermal Management.

Product overview

General Lattice is a computational design and digital manufacturing company offering a portfolio of configurable system verticals (Body Worn Protection, Seating and Positioning, Thermal Management) alongside custom engineering services. Its core offering is a parametric design model methodology that enables rapid exploration of complex design spaces — the same approach demonstrated in named projects including the Wilson Airless Basketball, Mak Studio Automated Pipeline, NanTrak Configurable Payload Systems, Automated CAD-to-Simulation Workflow, and Army Combat Helmet Lattice Materials. Customers engage General Lattice through a structured Application Development Program (Discovery, Parametric Model Development, Prototyping, Production Ramp) for custom high-performance systems in demanding commercial and defense environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Engineering Services (Application Development Program)

Quantifiable outcome

• 10x faster development cycles compared to traditional approaches
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• All Points Logistics LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll Points Logistics is an engineering, software development, and technology firm providing high-value services to NASA, Department of Defense, and other Federal customers for over 20 years. Partnered with General Lattice on U.S. Army Combat Helmet contract for predictive modeling toolset development.
• GoProto, Inc.supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGoProto is a rapid manufacturing company based in San Diego, California. Collaborating with General Lattice on U.S. Army Combat Helmet contract to manufacture lattice samples for testing and validation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Direct peers

• nTopology: nTopology is a direct competitor offering engineering software for lattice and topology-optimized design, with a strong focus on additive manufacturing workflows. It overlaps with General Lattice's parametric lattice-design core technology and serves overlapping customers in defense, aerospace, and medical devices.
• Materialise: Materialise offers Magics 3D printing software and on-demand additive manufacturing services. It is comparable to General Lattice as both an additive software vendor and a custom manufacturing services provider, with overlapping European and U.S. customer bases.

Broad incumbents

• Altair: Altair's Inspire platform provides structural optimization and lattice generation features inside a broad simulation-and-design portfolio. It competes indirectly with General Lattice by offering comparable multi-objective optimization capabilities to enterprise engineering teams, backed by Altair's installed base.
• Autodesk: Autodesk offers generative design and lattice features within Fusion 360 and within Netfabb for additive workflows. As the dominant CAD vendor with deep enterprise penetration, Autodesk represents the most significant incumbent risk to standalone parametric-design startups.
• ANSYS: ANSYS provides simulation-driven design tools and topology optimization features within its broader CAE platform. It is comparable to General Lattice where customers seek automated CAD-to-simulation workflows for defense and aerospace applications.
• Dassault Systèmes: Dassault's 3DEXPERIENCE platform includes generative design and additive manufacturing modules that compete for the same manufacturing-engineering budget as General Lattice. Its installed CATIA/ENOVIA base is a meaningful incumbent advantage in aerospace and defense.

Emerging players

• ParaMatters: ParaMatters provides generative design and topology optimization software (CogniCAD) targeting additive manufacturing workflows. It is comparable as a focused, smaller competitor pursuing similar lattice and multi-objective optimization capabilities.

Regional players

• Protolabs: Protolabs operates a digital manufacturing network for on-demand custom parts, including additive services. While more focused on traditional CNC/injection molding, its distributed network and quick-turn custom manufacturing business model parallels General Lattice's distributed supplier approach.

Others

• XponentialWorks / EOS: EOS is a leading supplier of industrial 3D printing systems and associated software. It is comparable as a partner/competitor at the intersection of additive hardware and design software, often co-providing lattice-optimized part manufacturing solutions.
• Arup: Arup is a global engineering consultancy that has invested in computational design and additive manufacturing for architecture and infrastructure projects. Its in-house digital design practice parallels General Lattice's Mak Studio-style architectural and engineered-system engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/generallattice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about General Lattice